Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on behalf of people in aged-care facilities in my electorate. I have a great pleasure in being able to get round, in my electorate, to some of the 67 aged-care facilities that we have and to talk to a lot of the residents. I'd like to note one of the residents, Mrs Val Gardiner. She joined the National Party when she was 18 years old. At the first meeting she went to, I think, she became the secretary of it. She is now 88, in the aged-care facility in Tenterfield, so she's had 70 years involvement in serving her nation by reason of an involvement in a political party. I'm certain, across all political parties, we have similar people.

We have been very lucky in New England. We've had, I believe, a good result with the issues of dealing with the pandemic in our aged-care facilities. I say that because I think it's important that when someone's under the pump you go into bat for them. Currently, the minister is somehow being chided that he is personally responsible for the tragic deaths that are happening. He is not personally responsible for it any more than he is responsible for the happiness of people in their aged-care facilities. And I think it's unbecoming of this parliament to try to attack the person for something that is actually not their responsibility. Talk about the policy, talk about the set-up, but don't go for the person.